In the related art, an electronic receipt system is known in which a customer receipt is electronically delivered by a store to a portable terminal or the like of the customer in connection with settlement of merchandise purchased by the customer.
By replacing a paper receipt with electronic data in this way, the store benefits because the consumption of paper can be reduced. In addition, the store can attach a coupon or the like associated with purchased merchandise to the electronic receipt, as a way to carry out merchandise sales promotion or campaign advertisement.
However, the electronic receipt system of the related art is only introduced on a per company basis and by a company which is a seller of merchandise or services. For this reason, a customer of a store of a company which has not introduced the electronic receipt system, has to receive a paper receipt, and thus a widespread introduction of the electronic receipt system is desirable. Further, it is also desirable to prevent a paper receipt from being unnecessarily issued from a point of sale (POS) terminal when an electronic receipt system is used.